


Ohana

by adrina_stark



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, And Treasure Planet, Lilo and Stitch meets Once Upon A Time, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-24 10:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2578079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adrina_stark/pseuds/adrina_stark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Lilo is kidnapped by Hades’ minions, Nani and Stitch must travel to a place called Storybrooke in order to rescue her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have already uploaded parts of this to FFN, but when I put it up here I wanted to change the parts of the story that I was unhappy with so there are two different versions of this story. I'm sure it's not going to get confusing for me at all.
> 
> It is set after the events of season 4a but will attempt to stick to the canon events as far as 4.06 - because that is as much as I know.

Robin was frantic. Roland had woken him from his most peaceful night sleep in a very long time to inform him that Marian was not in her tent. Her bed was still warm when he entered and there was a note left on her pillow, informing him of exactly was she planned to do. He had already sent Little John into Storybrooke with Roland, firstly, to get Roland to a safe location and to also ask for reinforcements in their search.

Robin tapped his foot urgently as his men gathered his weapons - Mulan already equipped beside him. He thought of Marian - angry about what she was attempting to do but also admiring her bravery and strength. She was no longer his wife, they had finally managed to discuss their feelings the night before and he believed they might have a chance of being friends. She would always be important to him, simply because of who she was. A brave, stubborn woman who could move as silently as any Merry Man. So compassionate and loving that she would give up her life because she believed a woman was being framed for crimes she did not commit. A person so noble that she could walk with dignity to death because she did not want anyone to die in her place. Robin thought of their son and refused to let him be motherless again.

When his men where finally ready, it took every fibre of his willpower not to run, to call out to her. His eyes scanned the forest like he had been trained and ignored the terror in his heart when Mulan signalled them.

"I found a faint trail," she said when he made his way over, "She's good and it's dark so everyone needs to be on the lookout."

Robin nodded and followed, hoping they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

 

Marian moved stealthily through the woods, years of living with the Merry Men had taught her how to move quietly and how they liked to patrol their camp grounds. Marian was momentarily glad for her new clothes, her cloak no longer leaving a trail or rustling leaves but her undetected movement meant there would be no one to save her. She had no particular destination in mind, she merely needed to find a quiet place where she would not be disturbed. She hoped to find it soon before her courage abandoned her. She shivered as she moved, hoping it had more to do with the chill that she always seemed to feel since her unfreezing rather than her own fear.

The trees opened to a spacious grove, perfect for her needs. Panic tried to overwhelm her as she stepped towards the middle and her eyes prickled with unshed tears. She kept her thoughts focussed on her beautiful baby boy, who had grown so much in the time she had spent in this realm and repressed the voice that whispered that she was abandoning him. Slightly calmer, she managed to open her eyes.

She was proud of how steady her voice was when she called out, the word echoing amongst the trees.

"Hades." When she saw she was still by herself, she called louder. "Hades, I summon you."

"And I hear you, it's not necessary to yell."

Marian jumped and turned as a voice sounded behind her, velvet tones doing nothing to calm her.

She observed the man in front of her, scorch marks marring the forest floor where he appeared. His appearance had not changed since the last time she had seen him – when he delivered his threat. He still dressed in the garments this realm called suits, charcoal grey emphasising his ebony skin and firm muscles. His dark blue tie highlighted the blue sparks that flickered through his close cropped hair and his yellow eyes appeared to glow in the moonlit grove. His face was chiseled and handsome, but his eyes spoke of endless apathy to all things living.

He seemed amused by her silence. "You summoned me here, my dear. Please speak quickly, I am a busy man."

Marian swallowed and filled her mind with thoughts of her son, it seemed to stave off the mind-numbing terror and panic she was feeling, and the overwhelming doubt about her hasty plan.

"I am here to make a deal."

He laughed openly at that. "I am a nature spirit charged with ferrying souls to the next realm. I have no need to make deals with mortals." He hissed the last word like it was a curse and she felt herself recoiling.

She squared her shoulders. She was a Locksley, she lived her life an outlaw and she stood up to the Evil Queen herself, this spirit was nothing.  _Except a threat to your son_ , a voice whispered maliciously.

"Yesterday, you claimed a life was owed to you. That the balance was upset and a life was needed. You want mine."

His grin was all teeth and the malice was reflected in his eyes. "You mortals, all so full of your own worth. I could go out and choose any soul I wanted, why in all the realms would I want yours?"

Marian ignored the question – she wasn't ready for that gamble yet, so she countered with a statement of her own.

"You can't take a life though, you're a spirit."

Hades inspected his nails, thoroughly bored. "Yes, yes. I am aware. I do have very eager sprites to do my work for me though, would you like to meet them?" He grinned ferally and picked a twig off the ground. "Children can encounter so many accidents, they are so... Fragile." He punctuated his sentence with a snap of the twig.

Marion visibly flinched as his slender fingers broke the twig and she closed her eyes to calm herself.

"If you have nothing else to offer, mortal, I will be taking my leave. I'm sure I will see you around."

Marian's eyes flew open and she resisted the urge to call him back, knowing that she would appear weak.

"You haven't even heard my deal yet."

Hades turned and she knew she had him by the interest that flickered momentarily in his eyes.

"The terms of my deal are that you or any one from your realm are unable to set up any 'accidents' and you can have my soul in exchange."

Hades laughed outright at her deal and Marian tried to not let doubt show on her face.

"Like I said, full of self worth. What need do I have for a deal, mortal, when I can choose whoever I want and still harm anyone in this realm?"

"My name is Marian." She said firmly and she forced a smile onto her face. "And you want this deal. I am the reason you are here. I am the soul that escaped you, that upset your precious balance."

Hades shrugged. "I have no need for your soul specifically, I just need one. And many souls have upset the balance in this realm."

"And you want mine. You want to show everyone that the balance cannot be tampered with? What better way than claiming the soul that has eluded your capture twice? It shows your power even more when the soul willingly surrenders."

Hades tapped his chin in a show of nonchalance but Marian knew she had him, he would not have come in the first place and he would have left at any point if he wasn't interested.

"You make an interesting point. And all I have to do is swear that I, nor any from my realm will harm or attempt to harm any mortal in this town?"

Marion tried to find any traps in his words but the deal seemed unbreakable from her point of view. Her throat closed at the thought of sealing the deal and all she could do was nod.

"I assume I am still permitted to collect souls that naturally depart?" He asked sarcastically.

"You are allowed to continue your duties to usher souls into the next realm as you would normally do, but you or your minions are not allowed to be the cause of death for anyone."

Hades nodded and seemed to shed his amused exterior. "You have a deal, Marian of Locksley, in return for your soul I swear on the River Styx that connects the realm of spirits and the realms of the living that I, nor any of my kin will harm or kill any mortals from this town."

Marian looked around, thinking the oath would involve a clap of thunder or at least a flash of light. "Is that it?"

Hades smiled sadly. "The oath is sworn, it is time to come home."

Fear filled Marian but she could no longer find shame in the fact her voice broke. "How do you plan on doing it?"

Hades' eyes finally appeared something other than apathetic, they almost had a gentle touch in this light.

"I can accept any soul that comes willingly, Marian. It will be no more painful than falling asleep."

He held out his hand and Marian held her head high as she walked towards him. She thought of her husband, who had mourned her and moved on through no fault of his own. She thought of her brave Robin and hoped he would be able to stay strong for their son. She thought of her baby boy, who moved from being a toddler to a child in an instant and continued to grow every second. She thought of his dimples and the strength of his hug and these thoughts travelled with her as she reached out to clasp Hades' hand.

She heard the noise of a bow being released and spun instinctively, the arrow moving past her face and into Hades' chest.

The sparks in his hair erupted as the arrow turned to ash, leaving behind only a hole in his clothes.

"No," she called desperately, "You can't-"

"Enough." Hades' voice cuts through everything, several of the Merry Men stepping back in fear of the threat underlying the smooth tones, "It seems there is no deal to be made, Marian of Locksley, I will have to show this town the consequences of dabbling in affairs beyond the mortal realm."

Warning delivered, Hades' bursts into a column of flame, forcing Marian to shield her eyes from the glare.

Robin is by her side in an instant, clutching her shoulders.

"Are you okay, Marian?"

She shook her head in despair, "What have you done, Robin?"

* * *

Hades sighed and shook his head as she stepped into another part of the forest. It was days like this that he despised his duty.

"Pain, Panic, come out."

The sprites appeared in the forest beside him. They had chosen to materialise in their preferred forms, Pain a chubby boy with dark red hair and Panic a skinny girl with sky blue hair. Their reflections of humans were never perfect – spending too much time around the dead did that sometimes, as both had greyish skin and yellow eyes similar to his own.

"What is it, your most lugubrious?" Pain said with a bow. Hades sighed and rolled his eyes, cursing the terms they picked up in every realm.

"I need you two to go pick up the package."

Panic grinned with excitement. "Do you really mean it? Thank you, Lord Hades. You really are the best master a sprite could ask for." She gave Pain a high five – another idiotic custom they had picked up in this realm – and Hades felt like banging his head against a tree.

"What package are you thinking of, Panic?"

Panic stopped dancing around the forest floor with Pain and gave him a quizzical look.

"The limited edition Olympus sneakers, of course. Pain and I thought they'd help us blend in with the mortals."

Hades let the sparks in his hair erupt into an open flame, casting an eerie blue light across the clearing. Pain and Panic cowered visibly as he carefully enunciated each word.

"I need you two to go and pick up the package, as in the creature of magic you sensed on that island they call Hawaii. You need to go there and bring it back to me, undamaged, is that clear?"

Pain and Panic flopped on the floor before him, heads bowed to the dirt as Pain replied.

"Yes, Lord Hades, we are but worms before you. We will go and collect this creature for you unharmed, you have our word."

"Good." He replied curtly. "Now get off the ground and hurry up. You two complete this task well and I'll consider letting you get the shoes."

Pain and Panic grinned at each other and disappeared with a small pop.

Hades sighed and looked at the forest glade he found himself in, letting the fire in his hair go out as he did. He wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by skeletal trees, jewels scattered across the earth and breath in the scent of his own realm, but the mortals of this Storybrooke had interfered with death too many times. His task was all the harder now he knew that mortals with true hearts - the ones that often entered his realm too early - existed in this land, but he needed to reinforce the idea that death was a force not to be trifled with before he left this cursed place for his own home, and to the person who was waiting for him there.

He drifted into the shadow realm between life and death, forcing the sparks that were a part of his form not to burst into a furnace as he considered mortals and their penchant for involving themselves with forces they had no true concept of. In this realm, he could observe the mortals unheeded and he considered his next steps as they planned their own.

* * *

A stunned silence filled the camp after Robin informed the group of what had occurred.

"So, what exactly can he do - he can't kill us himself, can he?" Emma asked.

"Neither he or his minions can hurt us directly, only if we are willing, but that doesn't mean they cannot set up events to harm us. This is why it was better for him to take one soul rather than more," Marian replied angrily.

The conversation stilled again and the campfire they were seated around flickered, doing nothing to lighten the atmosphere.

"We're not going to let him take anyone's soul," Emma said firmly, "And we're not going anything done tonight. Let's all head back to our beds to try and get some sleep and gather again in the morning. Hopefully Belle will find out some more information soon."

Emma, Killian, Mary Margaret and David said their goodnights and began walking to their vehicles, shoulders slumped with the weight of their task. Regina lingered before she followed the group, reluctance marking her every step. Things had been strained between her and Robin since the defeat of the Snow Queen and although he knew she was a different woman to the one who ordered Marian's execution all those years ago, he needed some time to associate the two.

Marian bids him a cold goodnight, Roland wrapped in her arms and he lets her go, unable to think of anything appropriate to say or move past the feeling of being watched.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Day

_**15 years before The Day** **** _

Nani stared up at her father fearfully as he hurried around their basement, collecting random items and putting them into a bag. His girth jiggled as he rushed around and his bald head glinted, his light brown skin almost appearing pale in the artificial light. Jumba Jookiba currently looked nothing like the loving, warm father she knew. He turned on her frantically and visibly attempted to calm himself when he saw her frightened expression.

"Nani, baby." He said, moving over and placing his hands on her shoulders. "We have to go, we need to leave this realm. The Realms Federation cannot have what I created, it's too dangerous. I'm sorry that I did this, baby, but we really need to go and you really need to pack. Bring some clothes, nothing else."

He stood to move away but she quickly grabbed his meaty hand.

"But what about Mom?" She said mournfully. "I don't want to leave her."

Jumba sighed and tears spilled down his cheeks as he pulled Nani into a hug, Nani finally feeling secure in his arms and he whispered in her ear.

"We can't stay here, baby, they'll take what I made and I can't let them. Mom will have to stay here, where we buried her." A sob wracked her small body at the reminder, and her father continued desperately. "But she'll be with us. We are family, and nobody truly gets left behind or forgotten in a family."

He pulled back and gently wiped her cheeks, large hands always able to do delicate tasks with finesse.

"Please go pack, Nani."

Nani nodded and began moving towards the stairs. She watched her father as she stood on the first step, placing crystals and books into his large duffel bag. When he came to the box, the mahogany one with the large blue crystal taking up most of the lid, he picked it up reverently and wrapped a towel around it before placing in the bag. By his gentle manner, you never would have guessed that the box was the cause of their flight in the first place.

Nani finally moved up the stairs and to her bedroom, where she stayed for all five years of her life. There was already a bag in her room and she moved mechanically, picking up clothes and folding them into the bag. She was about to take her bag out when she noticed her book lying open on her bed. She tenderly closed it, stroking its brown cover and golden etching before clutching it to her chest. She knew she didn't have any of her mother in her face, she had inherited her father's skin tone, black hair and brown eyes, even his button nose. While her father claimed she had her mother's smile, all she knew in that moment was the book was the last remnant of a mother she had to bury.

"Nani, baby, that's going to be too heavy." Her father said from her doorway.

"No." She cried, clutching the book to her chest. "Mum made it for me, I need to keep it."

Jumba sighed and moved towards Nani. "Okay, I'll carry it for you." He took the book in one hand and stroked her face with his other. "We're going to be going to a whole new realm, Nani, so I need you to be brave like the people in the stories Mom used to tell you. Think you can do that for me?"

Nani nodded solemnly. "I will be as strong as Snow White when she took on the Evil Queen and as brave as Prince Charming when he fought the Black Knights."

"Good girl." He father whispered, before standing up and taking her hand. She picked up her bag of clothes on the way out and stood by her father as he gently placed her book in his bag.

He took her hand again and they walked to their living room, an eerie green glow filling the room from the portal activator. The device had a large metal base, with knobs and controls for inputting the coordinates to the new realm. A large rod sprang from the middle of the base, with a large green crystal in its centre. The crystal pulsated with a strange light and Nani watched as her father calibrated the device.

"I've never been through a portal before, Dad, what if I end up somewhere away from you?"

Her father chuckled as he continued working. "I helped to make this particular device, baby. It's going to be fine, we'll make a portal jumper out of you yet, Nani." His voice trailed off after he said her name and she looked at him in confusion. He flicked a last switch on the device and moved over to her side.

"That's another thing, baby. They're probably going to try and follow us so we're going to need to go by different names in this new realm."

Nani frowned and felt on the verge of tears again, she was trying so hard to be strong. "But I like my name."

"I know, baby, it's a beautiful name. But we can't let the find us." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "How about this, I will be Oscar and you can be Zoe. Zoe is a very beautiful name as well."

Nani tasted her new name on her tongue and thought it didn't seem so bad. "Zoe, Zoe, Zoe." She muttered, looking to her father. "And you are Oscar?"

He gave her an encouraging smile and squeezed her hand. "Doesn't that sound nice? Zoe and Oscar, father and daughter, together in a new land?"

She smiled and nodded and her father moved back to tinkering with the portal activator. Zoe moved over to the window and took a last view of her home. The sun was beginning to rise over Elantris and some solar surfers were already flying over her street, as well as some sky ships. She frowned as several sky cars settled down in front of her house and people in uniforms began pouring out.

She turned to look at her father. "Dad, why are there uniformed people here?"

Her father's eyes widened in fear and his movements quickened. "They came sooner than I expected, come away from the window."

Nani frowned and caught a glimpse of auburn hair. "But I can see Auntie Amelia..."

"Nani, come away from the window. Now!" Her father spoke with panic and Nani quickly moved over. Jumba pushed one last button and the crystal began glowing more intently as he looked on with satisfaction.

"Grab your bag, Nani." He said briskly as a voice emerged from outside.

"Doctor Jumba Jookiba, you are in possession of property belonging to the Realms Federation. You have one minute to come out with your hands above your head."

Her father shook his head and grabbed her hand.

"Ready, Nani?" He said with a wide grin. At the same time, a beam shot out of the crystal and formed into a swirling green portal. He tugged her towards the portal and they jumped in as officers knocked down their front door, cries of frustration echoing behind them before she heard nothing.

Nani was lost, spinning every which way and she held tight onto her father's hand until they were spat out onto a forest floor.

Nani groaned and looked around, seeing nothing but trees in every direction. The sun shone directly ahead and the forest was awash with the sounds of bird calls. Her father stood up and laughed, pulling her into a crushing hug.

"Welcome, my little Zoe." He exclaimed as he put her down and straightened her clothes. "Welcome to what the portal jumpers call the Land Without Magic and what the locals call, Earth."

Zoe looked around at her new home and thought it was awfully hard to be brave.

* * *

_**The Day** _

Zoe looked to the clock ticking above her kitchen sink as she sat at the table, tea in her hands forgotten. It ticked on and on, getting closer to that moment despite every fibre of her being wishing it would stop. The clock ticked on and she was another minute closer to losing Lilo. And it was all her fault.

She was startled out of her reverie by Lilo's quiet steps into the kitchen and she discreetly wiped the tears from her eyes. Zoe was surprised that she didn't hear Lilo moving around as she was already dressed in her pink mu'umu'u, long black hair brushed and shining. Zoe put on a smile and thought she should turn plastic from how fake it was.

"Hey, Lilo, I didn't hear you get up. Do you want some breakfast?"

Lilo shook her head dejectedly and Zoe felt her heart break all over again. Then it was crushed into tiny pieces over Lilo's next comment.

"What's going to happen?"

Zoe sniffed and moved over to her sister's side, grabbing both of her small, warm hands and holding them in her own.

"I don't know, baby. All I know is that sometimes you try your hardest but things don't turn out the way you wanted them to." She tucked some of Lilo's hair behind her ear and gently raised her face so Lilo would look her in the eye, and she tried to convey her love. And regret. "Sometimes things have to change and maybe sometimes they're for the better. Even if..."

She broke of her sentence as her phone began to ring – secretly glad before she started to cry – and she shot Lilo an apologetic glance before answering.

"Hello?" She said, swallowing to regain her composure.

"Zoe – it's David. I think I found you a job, at the old man's grocery store on the corner. But you have to come now."

Zoe's face lit up with a grin and she glanced back at Lilo. "Okay, I'll be right there, David. Thank you so much!"

Zoe hung up and gave Lilo a quick hug. "We're going to be okay," she muttered into her hair before pulling away and asking briskly, "Where's Stitch?"

"I think he's sick, he's been all weird since last night."

Zoe frowned and tried to push the concern she felt away. Lilo was her number one priority.

"You two stay here then, and don't open the door for anyone. I'll be back before Mr. Bubbles arrives."

She gave Lilo a quick kiss on the head, glad for her shorts, boots and t-shirt combination and she bolted out the door. The thought of a new job offered her unexpected hope that her small and broken family wouldn't be torn apart and the sadness in Lilo's eyes made her move faster towards the store.

* * *

Stitch stared into the mirror in Lilo's room, trying to understand what he saw there. His features were a little too off to be truly human, his black hair tinted with blue, a blue that was slightly lighter in his large eyes. His skin was too pale but at a cursory glance, most people had taken him for a young boy, a little older than Lilo. They had dressed him in brown shorts and a white shirt and he liked to pretend he was human. If only. He rotated his bony hand and wondered if it was a choice he could make. Boy or Monster. Monster or boy. Was there a third option?

He glanced out the window and frowned. He still felt the same dark magic he had first sensed last night. It was a power that seemed tainted with death and it seemed to be getting closer.

Lilo appeared in the doorway behind him and he saw her sad expression reflected in the mirror. Was he destined only to destroy? Could he ever protect or save?

"What ever happened to your parents, Stitch?"

Stitch shrugged, still unwilling to turn around. "I suppose I had a father, but I never really knew him."

"Before you were shut away in the crystal I found you?"

Stitch shut his eyes and tried to block out the memories of his time trapped, stuck between worlds, unsure of where he was or what was happening, only aware of the slow ticking of time.

Lilo moved closer and her voice was still gentle. "I hear you cry at night. Do you dream about them?"

Lilo's eyes met his in the mirror and he looked away, unable to see the acceptance in her expression.

"My family is little now, and we don't have many toys. But if you want, you could be a part of it. You'd be our brother and we'd raise you to be good. Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind, but if you want to leave, you can."

Stitch nodded and picked up his book, his  _Ugly Ducking_  book that first helped him with the idea of family. He moved back to Lilo and tucked her hair behind her ear in a gesture he'd seen Nani do so many times before and he climbed out the window, not before he heard Lilo whisper.

"I'll remember you though. I remember everyone who leaves."

Stitch shut his eyes to hold in the tears and he bolted into the nearby jungle, clutching the book to his chest. When his legs were finally tired, he collapsed to the ground, panting. Family was supposed to mean that nobody got left behind, but what if leaving was the best thing for them?

Stitch was a monster and other monsters were coming for him, he was sure of that now. He had to get away before they hurt his family. Stitch clutched the book to his chest and tried to not let the overwhelming feeling of being lost drown him.

* * *

Lilo sat by her bed, holding Scrump to her chest as she cried. She knew something was wrong with Zoe and she feared it had something to do with her being fired the day before and her talk with Mr. Bubbles after.

Mr. Bubbles had seemed like a nice man when she first met him, even if he was a little scary looking, especially when he always wore his sunglasses and you couldn't see his eyes. But if he wanted to take her away from Zoe, he was the worst person on the planet. Maybe not worse than Lilo, but she was terrible, she was the reason her parents were dead.

And now Stitch had left, and their family was finally broken beyond repair.

Lilo heard a noise from downstairs and she looked up eagerly. Maybe Stitch had come back. She opened up her door and rushed down the stairs, only to see two strange children in her living room.

She froze, uncertain and they both gave her feral grins. She was distracted by their strange appearances, a skinny girl with blue hair and a chubby boy with dark red locks. When she noticed the grey colour of their skin, her eyes widened in fear.

"Come on, creature." The blue-haired one said with glee. "We're not going to hurt you, just come quietly."

Lilo bolted for the kitchen and she heard the children curse behind her. Lilo climbed up the counter and opened the cupboard, pulling out the matches. She turned triumphantly, holding Scrump carefully in the crook of her elbow as she held a match in her trembling fingers, ready to strike. The children looked up to her with confusion as she spoke.

"Leave now, demons, before I bring out what will banish you." She lit a match and continued. "Fire."

She waved the match at the demon-children but it didn't banish them, all it really made them do was fall to the floor with laughter.

"She's trying to banish us, Pain." The girl cackled.

"The only thing she's doing is make my side hurt, Panic." The boy replied, laughing with every word. The boy stood and before Lilo knew it, he had snatched the matches from her hand, inspecting them.

"What do you think they are, Panic?" He said, Lilo apparently forgotten.

"I dunno, Pain, maybe since they can't use magic, they need to make fire a different way."

They started lighting matches and flinging them around the room while Lilo tried to sidle out.

"Where do you think you're going?" The girl said, moving quickly over the grab her arm with a strong grip. Lilo struggled but the girl must have been some kind of demon by the way she held on. "Now, let's go, Pain."

The smoke alarm finally went off from the fire that had started on the kitchen curtains and Lilo used the demon's confusion to wriggle out of her grip and out the door. She grabbed the home phone on her way upstairs and shut her bedroom door behind her, shoving a chair under the handle.

She dialled Zoe but she didn't pick up. She looked around her room frantically for another solution and she saw the card Mr. Bubbles had given her all that time ago. She dialled the number and waited for him to answer as a thudding began on her door.

"Bubbles speaking." Mr Bubbles voice rang out.

"Mr. Bubbles? It's Lilo Pelekai. You told me to call if there were any issue and I have one. My house has been invaded by demons."

Mr. Bubbles' tone held a large amount of confusion. "Demons? Lilo, did your sister leave you alone again? Stay on the phone, Lilo, I'll be at your house in five minutes."

A loud thud startled Lilo and she dropped the phone. She moved to her window and she saw the boy waiting on the other side. Lilo wondered how long her door would hold as she sat on the floor, holding Scrump tight to her chest.

* * *

Zoe was jogging back from the store, a smile her face and she barely restrained her desire to sing. David had managed to arrange to get her a meeting and she was able to pass the interview. Now that she was employed again, she thought she had a good chance of applying to have Lilo back in her custody.

She was broken out of her reverie by the sound of a fire engine as it passed her and she paused, feeling like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her.

"Please don't turn left." She muttered. "Please don't go left."

The fire engine turned left and Zoe began to run.

* * *

There was fire streaming from her house and two fire engines were parked in front of it. She was breathing heavily and she took a moment to lean to her knees, taking slow breaths. She jogged up to the person who seemed to be in charge as she surveyed the fire.

"Miss, you're going to have to stand back, this is very dangerous."

"This is my house, my sister might be inside. And her friend."

The fireman – woman? - fireperson seemed to regard her solemnly as she spoke. "You can stay here, miss, but not get any closer. We need to find a safe way to get in and then we'll look for your sister and her friend." The fireperson left, leaving Zoe to stand there, hustle and bustle all around her, but she didn't hear any of it. She vaguely heard a car pull up her driveway and she felt movement beside her, looking up to see Mr. Bubbles. His customary sunglasses were blocking his eyes, but he seemed to radiate rage.

"You left her?" He asked, voice tight with restrained anger.

Zoe surveyed her burning house and replied dully. "I went for an interview. I wanted to prove I could take care of her."

"And this is the result of that." He said angrily with a wave of his hand. "You needed to think about what's best for Lilo, even if it removed you from the picture. She's ten years old, Zoe, she needs more than this."

Smoke was pouring from her kitchen window and Zoe barely felt the tears streaming down her cheeks. Mr. Bubbles made a noise of disgust next to her and walked away, pulling out his phone as he went.

She wondered how it had all come to this. She had thought she was giving Lilo her best chance. No one else understood Lilo like she did, she thought if Lilo lost that understanding, she wouldn't make it. Now fire poured out of their house and Lilo was missing.

_You failed her_ , a voice whispered over and over again.

A scream echoed from the back of the house and Zoe was running before anyone could stop her. She circled around to Lilo's room and saw the window was smashed. She thought she saw a flash of pink in the jungle and she ran after it, stumbling and tripping as she went. She saw Scrump amongst the foliage and quickly moved to pick her up before she followed the direction Lilo seemed to be moving in.

She finally stumbled into a small clearing where Lilo was standing in between two children, both with brightly coloured hair.

"Ready, Pain?" The blue-haired girl said. The boy on the other side of Lilo nodded his head.

Zoe was about to cry out and reach for Lilo when the girl gave a sly wave and all three of them disappeared with a small pop.

The strength left her legs and she crumbled, clutching Scrump to her stomach as she wept.

* * *

A rustling in a nearby bush pulled her out of her stupor and she was disappointed to see it was only Stitch who appeared still clutching that damn book he had claimed. He stood hesitantly in front of her, still wary of human emotions and unsure of how to comfort a crying person.

She wiped her eyes and stood. "What is it, Stitch?" She snapped.

Stitch recoiled but began. "I think something bad might be coming." He looked around furtively and lowered his voice. "I can sense it."

Zoe swore she saw red and she resisted the urge to grab him by his shirt and make him tell her everything. Her voice was choked with anger as she spat the words out.

"The 'bad' thing already came, Stitch. They just took Lilo." She ignored Stitch's horrified look and continued. "Magic isn't even supposed to be in this realm anyway, how can they be here? Why would they..." She trailed off and looked at Stitch before she whispered. "They were here for you."

Stitch nodded and looked away and Zoe heard her voice rising but she couldn't stop it.

"They were after you and they took her? Why? What did they want? Bring Lilo back. They can have you if they just give Lilo back. I just want my little sister." Zoe felt the tears in her eyes again but refused to let them fall.

Stitch looked at her guiltily and offered his book, which she grabbed warily.

"What's this supposed to do?"

"The story." He replied innocently. "The duckling gets lost but is found by its family. You'll find Lilo too."

Zoe hurled the book into the tree, needing an outlet for her anger. Stitch whimpered and went to pick it up, brushing off the cover. Zoe was angry at everything, herself for failing, Bubbles trying to take Lilo, Stitch for being the real target and Stitch again for acting so human and making it hard for her to lash out at him.

"How can we get her back?"

"I don't know." Stitch said. "But you should."

"I've never used magic, Stitch, I don't know how to track it. Even if I did, what then?" She asked, frustrated as she paced the jungle clearing.

"It's almost like I'm two people when I just want to be one of them." Zoe was about to snap and ask what his point was when she met his eyes, the blue gaze far too solemn and knowing for his childlike form. "Your problem is that you're only one person when you want to be two."

Zoe's eyes widened with realisation and she began running back to her house, hoping the fire hadn't spread. Stitch fell into place beside her and she thought of her father's things, locked in the basement. Zoe didn't know how to track magic, but Nani might remember.

* * *

Zoe felt a restless energy nearly overpower her as she dealt with the formalities. She had to give her statement to the police, the firepeople and Mr. Bubbles. Most parties considered her to be in shock after the strange kidnapping of her sister (based on the broken glass, the scream and lack of Lilo) and she was showered with assurances and well wishes and she wanted to scream because they were delaying her.

When they finally left, after telling her it was safe to be in her own house, she quickly locked the door and made her way down to the basement. The basement was dingy and underused. Zoe did not like to go down there as it was where her father locked away the artefacts that were too dangerous to leave behind in the former realm, and memories of their previous life often made it too hard to be just Zoe. She thought the only way to move on was to forget her past but Stitch's reappearance in her life made it all the more difficult, especially with that niggling, childlike voice that screamed not to be forgotten, not to be left behind.

Stitch sat on the bottom stair and watched as Zoe worked. She opened the large wooden box in the corner and began throwing the blankets that were placed in there on the floor behind her until she found a large oak box with a ruby coloured crystal set in the centre. She lugged it out, grunting as she went and placed it on the table in the centre of the room. She placed her fingers on the crystal and it flashed once before opening.

Zoe began sorting through her father's books, discarding ones she did not think would be helpful and pulling out several crystals she could figure out the uses for later. She heard Stitch shuffle when she came across his box, the mahogany one with the blue crystal and gently placed it to the side.

She looked through one of the books – methods of combining magic and science – and found the locator incantation.

"Stitch, I need you to go upstairs and grab me a map of the world and Lilo's hairbrush." She heard Stitch scurry off as she searched for the crystal she needed for the spell. If she remembered correctly, most crystals already had spells woven into them and they typically shattered after use. By that logic, she should be able to use the crystals for her own purposes.

Stitch returned and silently handed over the materials she requested and she accepted them with a distracted thank you. She pulled some of Lilo's hair off the brush and tied it around the white crystal she was using as it was illustrated in the book. She then laid the map out and placed the crystal on it, muttering the activation words.

She took a frightened step back as the crystal began to glow and roll around the map. It circled over America, paused, and words began appearing on the map next to the tip of the crystal. Zoe frowned at the new writing and said to no one in particular, "There's seriously a place called Storybrooke?"


	3. Chapter 2 - The Town

_**16 years before The Day** _

Nani watched her father as he tinkered over his workbench. He never knew she was down here, but even at four she was quick and clever and she knew how to sneak around her house and climb through the window before he went downstairs to the basement. The fact that she was supposed to be in bed made her spying all the easier as she sat in her cupboard.

He had been working every night and sometimes throughout the day ever since the  _Legacy_ had come back from their routine mission bearing her mother's corpse. That day was forever branded in Nani's mind and she couldn't let it go because it was etched into her father's as well. Her mother was returned to her on the 26th day of the 6th month and her father had then become obsessed with his new project, Project 626.

By her father's excited mutterings, she knew he was near completion and she wanted to be there to see it. To see what her father focussed on more than his own daughter.

Jumba was gently placing a large blue crystal into that mahogany box he had been fiddling with and he stepped back with satisfaction. He recited an incantation, the spell using so many languages that Nani had no idea what its purpose was. When her father finished, the crystal flashed once and continued to glow.

Her father crowed with satisfaction and his hand hovered over the crystal.

"This is for you, Wendy," Jumba whispered, and Nani had to strain herself to hear him. "Now Nani will never have to share your fate."

He touched the crystal decisively and Nani had to cover her eyes from the blinding light that was emitted from the gemstone.

Nani blinked a couple of times to try and help her vision clear and saw something standing in front of her father. It was like unformed blue goo, the kind her mother used to make for her and it rippled, as if attempting to decide on a form.

The cupboard door creaked as she leaned forward to get a closer look and the goo creature seemed to sense her, startling Nani into falling back with a squeak. When it simply continued to stare at her – or so it seemed, Nani found the courage to move forward again and check to see if her father had heard her. He was staring at the creature in confusion, possibly expecting something else to emerge.

The goo seemed to shift again and settle. It shrunk and began forming human features. Pale arms and legs appeared as well as a shirt and shorts like Nani was wearing. The face was last, forming large blue eyes, a pointed nose and pale lips. A mop of dark black, nearly blue hair appeared on the boy's head and he began looking over his own extremities curiously.

The boy was running his tongue over his lips as her father finally spoke.

"Remarkable. So close to human. I did not plan for this, but I suppose it makes it easier to blend in. This is marvellous, now we'll never lose another person."

The boy cocked his head at the comment and her father sighed. "You were supposed to be able to understand language but I guess we'll have to work on that. I can't wait to tell the Realms Federation that it finally worked."

Jumba began muttering and moving around his study, making notations in various journals as the boy simply stood there and looked around. He looked to Nani's hiding place and Nani crawled further into the dark, her heart racing.

It would take her a long time to discover the reason for her terror, and it wasn't due to the boy staring curiously in her direction. It was due to the look in her father's eyes when he looked at the boy, like he was looking at nothing more than a weapon.

* * *

_**After The Day** _

Zoe shook her head again, trying to focus as she drove. The last couple of days had been the worst of her life, even considering her history, the fact that mother was murdered, she had to flee her own home and now her father and step-mother were also dead.

It had taken some time to get away. Everywhere she looked, she saw Lilo's face plastered around and flashing on every screen, proclaiming "missing". She ignored all calls from David and did her best to avoid Mr. Bubbles while she played dumb for the police. She had sorted through her father's magical items and packed some items she thought might be helpful when fighting crazy-haired disappearing children. She also spent some time searching for the book her mother made her to no avail. She wanted to be comforted by her mother's stories of knights and princesses and family always finding each other and she sat on her cold basement floor, crying. For herself, for Lilo, for her parents and that damn book she couldn't find. Two days after Lilo disappeared, she felt raw but focussed and she took a trip to Honolulu in order to fly to the mainland and find this Storybrooke.

The only real issue had been with Stitch. She had calmly explained to him why he needed to go back into the box – he didn't have a passport, and even if he did, she wasn't sure if she could afford more than one plane ticket, let alone a rental car.

Stitch had reluctantly acquiesced, all the while looking terrified and Zoe squashed the guilt that welled up. She had to focus on Lilo, Lilo was her priority and her only concern.

He seemed fine now as they drove along, much better than her. Her flight from Honolulu had needed a stopover in JFK before she made it to Boston but she never could sleep on planes and the couple of hours sleep she had gotten in the airport hotel had not helped. She resummoned Stitch before she rented a car – and he actually checked to see if he had all his fingers and toes – and they left for their last leg of the journey as the sun rose.

She side-eyed Stitch as she drove, trying to equate the weapon her father saw with the boy who was trying to stick his head out the window.

She pulled him back into his seat with a laugh. "Don't to that, you'll probably hurt yourself, you're not a dog."

Stitch laughed along with her and the silence after was awkward. Zoe cursed at herself and started a mantra in her head.  _Lilo. Lilo. Lilo. Lilo is all that matters. Don't get attached. He's what they want. Lilo. Lilo. Lilo._

It would have been easier if he wasn't so human and if he didn't have such a sweet laugh.

"What kind of trees are they?" Stitch asked.

"Pine trees, I think." Zoe replied.

"It feels different." He continued.

"It's probably the weather, Stitch, home usually has warm days and sunny skies, even if it's raining."

Stitch was about to ask another question when Zoe thankfully saw a sign emerge along the road and she pulled up just before it.

"'Entering Storybrooke'," she muttered. "At least we're in the right place."

She looked over to Stitch who was frowning, if he had rabbit ears, she swore they'd be twitching every which way.

"What is it?" Zoe asked, hesitantly. "Do you sense something?"

"Maybe." He said with a sniff. "Cross the line and we'll see."

Zoe leaned over her dash and saw that there was in fact, a line painted on the road.

"Okay." She said, pulling back onto the road. "At least now we're really sure where the border is."

They drove over the line and Stitch stiffened in his seat, Zoe glanced between him and the road.

"That was definitely something. What is it?"

"Can't you feel it?" Stitch mumbled. "It's magic. Magic is here."

"But that's impossible." She breathed. "Magic doesn't exist in this realm. What is this town?"

Stitch shrugged and tried to bury himself deeper into his seat and they drove towards the town. Zoe could feel something different, an electricity in the air that made her feel more alive, and the safest she'd been in fifteen years. She felt like she was home. She shook off the odd feelings and focused on the road, unaware of the eyes watching them from the forest.


	4. Interlude I (Hades/Emma)

Hades felt his hair set alight in a silent display of his anger as Panic and Pain presented the 'creature' to him. They cringed in the blue light of the cave they had made their home and he heard his own voice rise with anger.

"And how did you exactly decide this is the creature I asked for?"

Pain and Panic looked at each other around the mortal and Panic started, voice wavering.

"Well, Lord Hades, we tracked the creature to its hiding place and then we captured it." Pain nodded along and Hades' hair scorched the cave ceiling in a show of his wrath, subduing them both.

"You tracked it?"

"By magical traces, Lord Hades, it was staying in what the mortals of this realm call a house," Pain supplied eagerly.

"And that scent, have you checked it recently? That I doubt because that would make you almost competent and you would have realised that the scent is fading off her. She is mortal," he said with an angry wave of his arm. "And you two still prove yourself to be bungling louts."

Pain and Panic fell to the floor, professing their apologies and Hades blocked their whining voices out, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose in a very human gesture he would have been horrified to realise he was making.

He observed the mortal girl as she stood there, shivering slightly in the damp cave and meeting his own yellow gaze with curiosity, not fear.

"What are you?" She asked, after Pain and Panic decided to kneel quietly on the floor.

He frowned at her gumption, the flames on his head reducing to the occasional spark, but decided to humour the mortal for a short time. Sometimes he did like to speak with mortals rather than whiny souls complaining that they were too young to die or actually attempting to bribe him.

"I am Hades, Lord of the Underworld and ruler of the death spirits."

She seemed very unimpressed by his list of titles, "Like the movie?"

Mortals had such odd terms for things. "I have no idea what a movie is, mortal, but I can assure-"

"It's pretty cool," The girl cut in and he gaped at her as Pain and Panic shuffled back in horror. Nobody ever interrupted him. "You try and overthrow Zeus by using some star alignment except Hercules can stop you, so you trick him into giving away his strength, but then Meg dies and he gets his strength back, so he stops the titans and goes to save Meg and he doesn't die in the soul sea because he's immortal again but then he gives it up to live happily ever after with her and you get submerged in the soul sea."

Hades tried to process the torrent of words that just flooded over him to no avail, the reasons he tended to avoid live mortals as well, however, came rushing back to him.

"I have no idea what that little upstart Hercules has to do with anything but I can assure you that Megara had no desire at all to live 'happily ever after' with him," he said primly. "And I cannot see why I would want a war, those other spirits Zeus and Poseidon cause a lot of trouble for me with their storms and lightning but a war would just kill more mortals and that would make my work all the harder. You have some idiotic ideas in this realm."

The mortal frowned at that and asked softly. "Did you kill my parents?"

This was another reason he did not like talking with mortals. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I do not kill mortals, I merely usher their souls to the next realm. Souls of the dead do not belong in the realm of the living."

Her eyes welled with tears and she continued brokenly, "But you took their souls, right?"

Hades looked away, "I do not take mortal souls personally anymore, but one of my spirits would have."

She continued sniffling and Pain pulled a cloth out of his pocket to offer it to her, which she accepted and blew her nose. The sprites were obviously spending too much time with the mortals if they knew what to do in this sort of situation.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked tearfully, wiping her eyes.

"You know the creature I want, do you not?"

"You mean Stitch? He's my friend, not a creature."

Hades gave a cruel smile, although that role was getting harder to play. "So you do know him, once we actually find him, we're going to have a little trade, he's going to do a simple job for me and I can finally leave this wretched realm."

"Pain. Panic." The two snapped to attention and performed some odd gesture with their right hands, raising them to their foreheads. "Go into town and get some food and warmer clothes. Do not be seen."

The sprites disappeared and Hades sighed, wondering how his simple plan became so complicated.

"Go find a place to sleep, mortal, you're going to be spending some time with us."

The girl looked around and shuffled over to a corner of the cave.

"Lilo," she said. When she saw him frown she clarified, "It's my name. My name is Lilo."

Hades sighed again, remembering another mortal who said something similar a couple of days before. This is why he did not want to deal with mortals, their lives were so fragile and simple, and regret for their passing was so easy to muster, even after thousands of years of trying not to.

* * *

Emma sighed and rubbed her head, trying to push away the headache she felt coming on. They were in Mary Margaret's office, which had become their impromptu base of operations, but right at that moment, they only thing they were succeeding in was giving her a headache.

"I say we should just attack him." Regina declared, again.

"And I told you before, dearie, that even if I knew how to kill a nature spirit, especially one of death, I wouldn't. Who knows what sort of consequences that could have?" Gold shot back.

David nodded at that, but next to her, Killian appeared sceptical, but probably had more to do with that fact that he distrusted everything that came out of Gold's mouth. Mary Margaret was busy cooing at Neal, who was sitting on her lap, giggling at his mother's expressions.

Regina rounded on her, "And what makes you think it's a good idea to bring an infant to this meeting?"

Mary Margaret met her gaze evenly, "Firstly, I'd like to keep an eye on my young son while there is a nature spirit of death determined to wreak havoc on us, secondly, he's going to need lunch soon. Thirdly, it's not like we're achieving anything here."

Regina threw her hands up in disgust but Emma had to admit her mother had hit the nail right on the head.

"Look, she's right. Let's regroup and discuss what we do know." She pulled some files off the table, "It may be unrelated, but the last couple of days we've had some reports of missing children's clothes and food. The clothes I could understand as those weird little sprites he's got but I don't understand the food, I didn't think they needed to eat."

"Correct, Miss Swan." Gold said smoothly. "Spirits like that typically feed off magic and they've food plenty here." Regina muttered about whose fault that was and Gold ignored her, continuing. "Unfortunately, a lot of people in this town were thieves in their former lives, it is possible it's not even related."

"It is related when a witness claims to have seen a child with red hair before they disappeared."

Gold nodded in acquiesce before Emma continued, "We need a way to contain him before he takes any more lives. Killian, you're going to have to go back and help Belle with the research. I'll work with getting a patrol going with David and Gold and Regina can work on making us some sort of barrier to keep him out."

Since no one disagreed, they were all about to leave to get to work when Leroy burst in, puffing. Mary Margaret placed Neal on her hip and quickly moved over, rubbing circles onto Leroy's back.

"Leroy, what is it?" Her mother asked with concern.

"We've got a problem, sister." He said between breaths, his face red with exertion. "Someone just drove over the town line."

All eyes in the room turned to Gold, who held up his hands. "I don't know what you are all looking to me for."

"I thought you put up a spell to prevent just that." Emma said.

"That I did, Miss Swan. It did, however, have some exceptions."

"Like what, Gold?" Regina asked with frustration.

"People born in the Land Without Magic cannot pass the line, but those from another realm can, or if someone from this realm is accompanied by someone magical. If I had done it any other way, those who were not cursed would not be able to come and go freely."

"Okay, fine." Emma said with a sigh. "So, someone from the Enchanted forest is coming back?"

"Can you really be that naive, Miss Swan?" Gold asked and Killian stiffened at her side. "There are more realms than this one and the Enchanted Forest, there are innumerable realms, and I suspect our new guests are Hades' pawns, able to do what his nature restricts him from."

"Do you know where they were headed, Leroy?" David asked.

He nodded, "They seemed to be going towards Granny's. Doc was patrolling near the town line when he saw them cross. They were driving a small blue car and it looked like there was a woman and young boy inside."

"Okay, the plan stays the same except I'll go going to greet them instead. It's only the friendly thing to do as I am Sheriff." Emma saw David and Killian and pretty much everyone about to protest so she continued firmly. "We're going to pretend that we're not onto to them and that's final."

She moved over to say goodbye to her parents and Neal and gave a quick kiss to Killian.

"I'll be home in time for dinner." She whispered.

"You better be, Swan." He replied gruffly.

She smiled and walked out of Mary Margaret's office, wondering who Storybrooke's new tourists could be and where they came from in the first place.


	5. Chapter 3 - The Sheriff

 

_**14 and a half years before The Day** _

Zoe fiddled with her new doll, unsure of who it was supposed to represent or why she seemed to have no stomach. She tossed it next to her on the bed with a sigh and stared at the ceiling, wishing that this realm wasn't so odd. Zoe frowned when she realised she shouldn't even think that this realm was odd because it was supposed to be the only place they had ever lived, and she certainly shouldn't think of it as a realm.

Tears of frustration prickled at her eyes and she sat up and moved to the window of her small room. From what she'd been able to gather, their portal had opened in someplace called Maine, America but her father had quickly moved them to another state, and another state after that before they finally settled on an island called Hawaii. Zoe hoped they wouldn't have to move again anytime soon as their current house might be small and a little unkempt, but it had a wonderful view of the ocean.

Zoe had never seen the ocean when she lived in Elantris and her first view had taken her breath away. It was blue one minute, then green the next but constantly shimmering and shining. Zoe thought it was stunning and it reminded her of her mother's eyes.

Zoe heard Oscar moving about in the kitchen and she exited her room, wondering if he needed any help with dinner. Her father had become much better with cooking and the electronics from this world over the last couple of months and his meals were slowly becoming edible. She lingered in the doorway of their dark kitchen, uncertainty in her every pore.

"Dad, can we stay here? I don't want to move again."

Her father's voice wavered as he continued chopping, his girth jiggling much less as the stress of the past few months had definitely taken a toll on her father.

"It depends if we're safe here, Zoe. If we can be found, we'll need to," he turned to give her a quick smile, "But you'll be brave for me, won't you?"

Zoe nodded solemnly as her father began chopping another tomato, "I'll be as brave as Snow White when she took on those nasty trolls."

Her father stilled and looked to her with wide eyes, quickly moving to kneel before her.

"Zoe, you can't say things like that here. They have different stories and if people hear, the people we left behind might be able to track us. The people of this world – which we are from – have different stories, and you can't talk about the ones you know anymore."

Oscar's eyes were gentle and earnest but Zoe felt herself on the verge of tears nonetheless, "But Mom told me those stories. She loved them and she loved writing them down."

Her own grief was reflected in her father's face as he pulled her in for a hug, eventually picking her up and walking to the couch, placing her next to him.

"I know it's hard, baby, but this is the only way we'll be safe." Her father gave her a half-smile and moved to grab something off the coffee table, "This is called a video, Zoe, they tell stories with moving pictures on them. This one is called  _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves_. I thought you might like it. How about I put it on now, then I'll come watch it with you once I've finished with dinner. Sound good?"

Zoe nodded and her father put the video on, giving her a quick kiss on the head before moving back to the kitchen.

As she watched the video, even her father's yum spaghetti couldn't keep her treacherous thoughts at bay. Especially the thought that she much preferred her stories of Snow White, with trolls and bandits and curses, rather than this realm's – world's – odd take on it.

* * *

_**After The Day** _

Zoe had few memories of the places she lived in this realm before Hawaii, so her ideas of what a small town should look like were pretty much based on what she'd seen on TV but Storybrooke seemed to fit right into those preconceptions. It seemed picturesque and a little too perfect, but she may have been adding the creepy vibe because of the magic Stitch had sensed.

She pursed her lips as she surveyed the town. "If I was an evil magician who liked to kidnap children and I also hid in a weird town of magic, where would I be?"

The growling of Stitch's stomach interrupted her musings and she sighed, chucking a U-turn and pulling up in front of the diner she just drove by.

"I guess we could use a bit of a recharge."

Stitch gave her a grateful smile and quickly undid his seatbelt, scrambling out of the car. She held in a smile at his antics, looking over the diner –  _Granny's_  – hoping they made good pancakes.

She walked up with Stitch and gave him a once-over, hoping he would pass as human. "Now, let me do the talking. We're going to pretend we're on a road trip and we'll be stopping here for the night to rest. You are my cousin and just pretend you're shy if anyone talks to you."

Stitch nodded eagerly and Zoe tried to fight the feeling that everything was about to go completely wrong as she opened the door.

Everything did seem to go wrong as she walked into the homely diner but it didn't seem to have anything to do with Stitch. A hush had gone over the room after they entered and they were on the receiving end of pretty much every stare in the whole room. Zoe wasn't sure if it was some small town reaction to new people or if she and Stitch were about to be under attack. She was about to take Stitch out when a matronly woman seemed to shake herself, snapped at a waitress to 'stop gawking and get back to work' before bustling over to them.

"Welcome to Granny's diner, you can call me Granny," she said with a smile, one that appeared very strained to Zoe. "What can I get for you?"

Zoe gave an equally fake smile in return. "We'll have two pancake stacks, please. I'll have syrup and he'll have chocolate sauce."

"I'll bring it over when it's ready."

"Mahalo," Zoe replied automatically, blushing when she realised her mistake. "I mean, thank you."

Granny gave her a considering glance before moving off and Zoe guided Stitch to an empty booth. She sat across from him and rubbed her temples, "I'm not very good at this undercover thing."

"Undercover?" Stitch asked, "Are we spies?"

Zoe leaned in closer and whispered, "Their reaction when we walked in was weird so, yes. We're undercover until we find out who here took Lilo and then we're going to take her back. Whatever it takes." She broke off eye contact as she finished her sentence, aware of what getting Lilo back may mean for Stitch.

Stitch began making pictures with the sugar packets as she drummed her fingers on the table, wondering what their next move should be.

"Two orders of pancakes, who gets the chocolate ones?" A bubbly voice asked.

Zoe turned from gazing out the window as Stitch excitedly nodded, moving the sugar packets out of the way. A woman – who didn't seem that much older than Zoe – with amazing cheekbones and red streaks placed their orders down with a bright smile.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"Can I have more chocolate sauce?" Stitch said quickly, before Zoe could talk.

Zoe tried to reign in her glare as the woman laughed and walked away to grab the sauce. Zoe took a deep breath and went for her most charming – she hoped – smile as the woman returned and placed the sauce in front of Stitch.

"I'm guessing you don't get many visitors here?"

The waitress gave a toothy grin, "You guessed right. My name's Ruby, what brings you here?"

"I'm Zoe and this is my cousin, Stitch. It's a nickname," she explained, after seeing Ruby's raised brow. "We're on a bit of a road trip, do you know a good place to stay for the night? We thought this might be a nice town to have a bit of a rest."

"We also have a bed and breakfast here, we can arrange that for you after your pancakes if you like. Are you sure you want to stay in Storybrooke though? I'm sure there are more exciting places to stay."

Zoe barely managed to keep her face free of suspicion and gave a high laugh, "We've been on the road for a couple of days so we could use a little less excitement." She looked back to Stitch and saw he was almost making a flood of chocolate sauce, "Stitch, that's enough." She snapped, taking the chocolate sauce and passing it back to Ruby.

Zoe could have sworn she saw frustration in Ruby's eyes as she accepted the bottle, "Alright, then. Let me know if you need anything else."

She let out a sigh of relief as Ruby walked away, unsure of how long she could resist throttling the woman for information after her suspicious behaviour. She let out a laugh when she turned back to Stitch, who had eagerly dug into his pancakes and now had chocolate sauce smeared all over his face.

Zoe passed him a serviette, which only managed to smear the chocolate more around his face. She rolled her eyes and tucked into her own pancakes, thinking she was going to have to scrub him in order to make him presentable again. She had almost finished her breakfast when a cough gained her attention and she saw another woman – a blonde this time – giving them a smile.

"Hi, I couldn't help but notice we had some new faces. My name's Sheriff Swan, I just thought I'd introduce myself and let you know if you need anything, you can come to me."

"That's very kind of you, Sheriff Swan. My name's Zoe and the chocolate-smeared one is my cousin, Stitch." Zoe replied politely, "You visit all the tourists yourself?"

That nearly knocked the smile of Sheriff Swan's face but she continued in that same friendly voice, "We don't get a lot of tourists so it's not a big hassle."

"Well, Stitch and I were about to book a room, so I guess we'll see you around, Sheriff?"

Sheriff Swan nodded, "I guess you will. Have a lovely day."

Zoe watched as she walked to the bench to have a whispered conversation with Ruby and a black-haired man. Ruby handed over their order and the man shot Zoe a suspicious glare. Already fed up with this town and its secrets, Zoe did something very Lilo-like and poked her tongue at him, unable to take any amusement from the shock on his face as she considered the task ahead of her.

"Magic," Stitch whispered.

"What?" Zoe asked, turning from watching the group.

"She has magic," Stitch insisted.

Zoe ducked her head closer to Stitch and whispered back, "Is it like the magic that took Lilo?"

Stitch shook his head. "That felt like death and darkness... This magic feels, brighter. Almost happy." Stitch looked almost wistful as he considered it.

"At least we know we're in the right place," Zoe muttered, leaning back in her seat. "Where there's one type of magic, there's usually more. The question is how it is here. This isn't called the Land Without Magic for no reason."

Stitch shrugged and began licking the last of the chocolate sauce off his finger and Zoe was distracted from reprimanding him by the tinkling of the bell as a short brunette and a stunning woman with Asian features walked in and greeted Ruby, the Sheriff and the man. Zoe felt something stir that she hadn't even thought about in months, not with Lilo and especially not after the debacle with Dana. Zoe shook her head and rationalised it as sleep deprivation, waving Granny over to book a room. As she walked out of the diner, key in hand, she couldn't shake the feeling that some of the people there seemed very familiar to her. The flash of faces she'd seen long ago and brought to mind memories of fresh parchment and the smell of paint.

She tried to focus as she and Stitch carried their bags to their new room.

"Let's try another locator spell, hopefully we can get a more specific location with a town map."

Stitch nodded distractedly and she had to usher him along to stop him from investigating little bugs. By the time they'd reached their room, she felt refocused and had her thoughts once again on Lilo and nothing more.


	6. Chapter 4 - The ex-Mayor

_**16 years before The Day** _

“Another, another!” Nani cried, trying to hide her yawn. Her mother laughed and ruffled her head, which was tucked into her mother’s side.

“Sure you can stay awake for it, little one?” Wendy teased gently. Nani nodded solemnly, but the effect was ruined by another jaw-cracking yawn.

Her mother’s voice was filled with laughter and she closed the heavy book, “We’ll have to continue tomorrow night, Nani.” Nani sighed as her mother stood up and tucked her into bed, pulling the quilt to her chin. Her mother’s strawberry-blonde hair had long since fallen out of its plait, but Nani could still see the amusement glinting in her mother’s eyes, shining past her fringe. Her mother sat on her bed and brushed Nani’s dark hair out of her own face.

“Do you ever think you’ll find out what happened?” She asked quietly.

“I don’t know, little one, I hope so. Nearly 15 years ago half the people in the Enchanted Forest just disappeared and nobody’s really sure why. I had only been out of the academy a couple of years – had barely finished my research – when it happened and all those people disappearing, it scared a lot of the higher ups.” She gave Nani a reassuring smile and patted the book, “It’s my theory, as you have heard many, many times, that the Evil Queen cast her curse to take everyone away. But I guess we’ll only know if we jump to the land they were taken to, and the chances of that are very slim.” She gave Nani a gentle kiss on the forehead, “But this is a terrible before-bed chat, I hope you have wonderful dreams about slaying dragons, little one.”

Nani grabbed her mother’s hand before she could leave, “Do you think they’re safe?” She asked sadly.

Her mother sighed and sat back down, “I don’t know, but a saviour will come and break the curse, that I am sure of.”

“The daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming? The one they sent away?”

“That’s the one, but not for many years.” She re-tucked Nani into bed, “Come on, you need to go to sleep now if you want to wake up in time to see me off.”

Nani felt her bottom lip quiver and tried to turn away before her mother could see it, but her mother was always too perceptive and she shuffled forward on the bed, gently bringing Nani’s face back so brown eyes met sea-green.

“Little one, I will be back in a week. The  _Legacy_  is going on a very routine jump to the Enchanted Forest and they can’t go without their prized navigator. Besides, your Auntie Amelia and your Uncle Samuel need me to look out for them.” Seeing how Nani was still sad, she smiled brightly. “How about I stay here with you until you fall asleep, then you can wake me up and see me in the morning. I’m sure you and Dad will have fun without me.”

Wendy moved around the bed and sat near Nani’s pillow as Nani cuddled into her mother’s side. She fell asleep with the gentle touch of her mother’s hand on her head and dreams of robbed carriages and terrifying curses flashing through her mind.

* * *

**_  
After The Day_ **

Zoe smacked the table with a curse, her frustration rising. The locator spell they had been attempting to use with the Storybrooke town map she’d found in their room was unsuccessful both times they’d tried it and she was running out of ideas, and hope.

She fell back into a chair, rubbing her fingers against her temples.

“It’s not like we can just ask all the very suspicious and possibly magical residents if they know where Lilo is,” she muttered to herself. Part of her frustration turned to curiosity as she watched Stitch, who had been hugging his knees on his bed since they’d walked into the room. She would have considered the behaviour odd if she hadn’t been concentrating on Lilo because Stitch was typically moving constantly and touching everything. Zoe had often found it annoying until she realised why he did it, he’d spent so much time in that crystal that being still was probably terrifying for him.

“What is it, Stitch?” She asked hesitantly.

He looked over to her and she was taken aback by the sadness in his eyes, they were filled with nothing but pain and darkness no child should know. Zoe had to remind herself often that he wasn’t actually a child.

“I wreck everything, ruin everything I touch. Maybe it would have been better if I had just stayed in that crystal.”

Zoe felt her mouth fall open and floundered as she tried to find the right words, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that agreed with him. Stitch nodded to himself and looked away, taking her silence as agreement. She began to rise out of her chair, to argue that Lilo was going to be taken anyway and that was her fault but the words died on her lips as a knock on the door sounded throughout the room.

She shot a quick glance between Stitch and the door before moving to answer, muttering unkind things about small towns. She yanked the door open angrily and was greeted by the sight of an elegant looking woman holding a covered basket. Her appearance tickled something in the back of Zoe’s mind, something that had been bugging her since she arrived in this town. 

The woman gave her a smile that could be constructed as friendly if it ever reached her eyes.

“Can I help you?” Zoe asked brusquely.

“No,” the woman replied smoothly. “I just heard we had visitors to our town and came to introduce myself. My name is Regina Mills, I was the Mayor of Storybrooke, and you are?”

Zoe was fairly confident that the woman already knew her name, everything she’d said in this town and probably the colour of her underwear, but she had appearances to maintain. “Zoe Pelekai.”

“Lovely to meet you, Miss Pelekai, and your cousin is?”

Zoe turned to look at Stitch, who was blocked from the Mayor’s view by the door. She tried not to react as she saw his expression, filled with fear and wariness, but she gulped as she turned, attempting to keep up the pleasant facade.“Stitch Pelekai, he’s shy.”

Mills gave her another smile and Zoe wondered if she wanted to come in. Zoe was loathe to do that – ignoring the tales of vampires needing an invitation to enter that Lilo used to tell her – but because she had left her magical items on the table.

“Anything I can help you with, Ms Mills? Stitch and I were just getting settled, we’ve been driving for awhile.”

“Yes, I had heard about your little road trip. Do you know how long you’ll be staying in our town?”

“We haven’t decided. Our little trek has been a bit harder on my cousin than we anticipated so we’ll just have to wait until he’s recovered.”

“Of course, if you need any medical assistance, we have a wonderful doctor in town. Doctor Whale’s looked after my son all his life so I can assure you he’s very good with children.”

Zoe gave a thin smile, “That’s very kind of you to mention, Ms Mills, don’t be offended when I say I hope we don’t have to visit him.”

Mills gave a high laugh and uncovered her basket, revealing blood red apples. “I picked these from my own tree as a little welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay in Storybrooke, Miss Pelekai.”

Seeing this woman with the apples felt like a lightning bolt had struck her and her eyes widened with realisation. She quickly grabbed the basket, trying not to act like she was holding poison, muttered a quick thank you and shut the door, the noise echoing throughout the room.

She placed the basket on the floor and quickly moved away, eyeing it like it could explode at any minute.

“She was full of dark magic, wasn’t she?” She asked Stitch as she sat down on his bed.

He frowned at the door and shook his head, shaggy hair moving with the motion. “Yes and no. There was dark magic there, and it was powerful, but there was also something pure, much like the Sheriff had.”

“But that’s impossible,” she exclaimed. “That’s the Evil Queen!”

Stitch frowned at her so she continued, “My mother had this book of stories she collected about the Enchanted Forest and it included stories about the Queen. The pictures sort of resemble her and she offered us apples – which we are not going to eat.” She warned him sternly.

She began pacing around the room, warming up to her theory. “This must be where the curse took the people from the Enchanted Forest. And the time must have passed by now so the curse should be broken, but the Evil Queen must have won somehow if she’s not locked away.” She looked up as she made another realisation, “The Sheriff – the one with light magic – she must be the saviour. I might have asked for her help if she wasn’t so clearly aligned with the Evil Queen.”

She leaned against the wall, suddenly tired, as she realised none of this would help her find Lilo.

“I need a place to think properly,” she said, grabbing her jacket. “Come on, Stitch, we’re going for a walk.”

She hastily placed her crystals away and locked them securely in her suitcase. As she locked their door – wondering how many people it would actually keep out – she considered the only thing she was grateful for in this damn town was that it was situated on the coast.


	7. Chapter 5 - The View

_**7 months before The Day** _

Zoe sat on her board and let the sound and movement of the waves relax her. She forgot how freeing it could be, the sound of the surf in her ears and the taste of salt on her tongue. She the moment, she didn't have to be anyone or do anything, she could just be Zoe, an ordinary teenager.

Her reverie was broken as she heard paddling next to her and opened her eyes to see David move over. She always admired – and sometimes envied – how easy David made surfing seem and how he made every movement seem casual and simple.

"You're looking a bit better," he said, trailing his left hand through the water. The wave tattooed around his bicep seemed to move with the action.

"I have felt this relaxed in months." She looked over to him and continued sincerely, "Thank you, David, this was exactly what I needed."

"You know if you need to talk, or if you ever need any help, I'm here for you."

Zoe sighed and looked over to where Lilo was building sandcastles on the beach, "Thank you again, David, but I need to be able to do this."

"If you say so," he replied, obviously unconvinced. "I just mean – your family really looked after me, you know? Not just because we were friends and you know I'd do anything for Lilo."

"I know," she said softly. She trailed her own hand through the water and let the cool breeze brush over her face, with her eyes closed, the world didn't seem as troubling.

"You don't owe me anything, David, you are my best friend and you know I'd do anything for you. Sharing my parents was nothing, inviting you over all the time so you didn't have to get back to the orphanage was nothing, you've been one of the most reliable people in my life ever since you tried to steal my wave all those years ago." Zoe smiled as she remembered and David chuckled beside her, apparently her 14-year-old self had been quite terrifying when discussing surfing etiquette.

"But I'm so scared, I've got this social worker breathing down my neck and Lilo is so angry all the time. I'm working everyday to try and keep us going and I'm trying to fight for her, I just get so tired everyday to go home and fight with her."

"How are things going with Dana?"

Zoe smiled bitterly, "All I seem to be doing is fighting. We had a pretty bad one yesterday." Her chest still ached from when Dana said it was getting too hard for her and rushed out the house, red hair streaming behind her and the slam echoing throughout the room.

She started when she felt David's wet hand on her own, "I'm sorry", he said, his brown eyes were filled with sincerity. "This should be easier for you."

"It's only been two months, David, I felt like I haven't even been able to mourn them yet." Her voice choked and she felt hot tears drip down her cheeks. She tried to quickly wipe them away but David grabbed her hands.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said soothingly, "You're allowed to grieve, Zoe, you can be sad and still care for Lilo. She needs you to grieve too." He pulled her into an awkward embrace, both attempting not to fall of their boards and Zoe wrapped her arms around him, placing her head against his damp chest. A sob wracked her chest, then another one and before she knew it, she was bawling. She thought of her parents, her dreams and her crumbling relationship with her sister and the tears kept coming. David held onto her throughout and she pulled back as she finally began to hiccup.

She sniffed and looked up to him, but his gaze was just as gentle as ever.

"Do you want to be alone for a bit?"

She gave a jerky nod of her as she wiped her eyes.

"Okay," he replied, looking to the beach, "I'll go see Lilo and ask if she wants a ride. I bet I can ride better waves than you even with the extra weight, you're getting a bit rusty."

Zoe gave a weak chuckle, it wasn't a laugh, but she felt it was a start.

"You wish, David." He just waved and began paddling away but she called to him loudly, his dark floppy hair spreading droplets as he turned, "David, mahalo. I could never ask for a better friend. Aloha wa la'oe."

David's face lit up with a smile, "Aloha wa la'oe, Zoe."

Zoe watched him move away then leaned on the board to feel the sun on her face. She was glad she had let David talk her into a surfing break, something she hadn't done since that night when a knock on the door changed her life. The surfing, combined with her breakdown, finally made her feel like maybe she wasn't broken, holding herself together for Lilo. Out here, anything seemed possible.

She watched David and Lilo surf together and recalled when her mother had done the same, taking her out on her own board until Zoe was finally able to use her own. She encouraged her every time she fell, comforted her every time she hurt herself and Zoe could almost picture her beside her now, dark hair shining in the wind, a smile under her – Lilo's – round nose. Zoe shook herself and began paddling towards the breaks, hoping to lose herself again the motion of the waves.

* * *

_**After The Day** _

Stitch was practically leaping to keep up with her long-legged stride but Zoe was in no mood to slow down, she was beyond stressed, and there was only one place in the world that could help her think. Zoe ignored the passing glances of other people and half-heartedly responded to a nod given by a curly-haired man walking his Dalmatian. She could feel the taste of salt on her tongue before she saw it, and the sound of the waves crashing along the shore made her pick up her pace.

The waves were smaller than she was used to, the ocean almost a different colour – less bright in this place, the sand not as clean, but as she breathed in and closed her eyes, Zoe felt herself start to relax. She heard Stitch catch up to her and she felt a guiltily twinge at his breathless state.

"Come on," she said and began navigating her way over the damp sand. Near the water's edge, she simply sat down, ignoring the fact she was going to get sand on – and probably in – her clothes. Stitch sat hesitantly beside her, looking around as if unsure what to do.

"I had never seen the ocean until I came to this realm," she began hesitantly, but the words began to rush out of her. "Not the real ocean, the only thing I could go by was the colour of my mother's eyes and my own imagination. When I saw it, I thought it was one of the most beautiful things in the world, and I started to think that maybe this realm wasn't so bad. Then Dad met Mom – my second Mom I guess – and she eventually taught me to surf, it's how we bonded. Now the ocean is linked to my happiest memories of both my mothers and that's always brought me comfort, even after they both died." She finished with a sigh and simply watched the waves lap at the shore.

"I never had a lot of happy memories," Stitch said quietly, not taking his eyes off the little sandcastle he was making. "Not until Lilo took me out of the crystal. Then I had so many, but I think my favourite is when we went to the beach with David and he took me out surfing for the first time. It was the first time I actually thought, 'this is what freedom is', and I realised I never wanted to give it up." He looked up to her guiltily, "I know I never made it easy for you, because everything was still so new and I wanted to try everything, but I didn't realise there would be a price."

"'All magic comes with a price,'" she quoted with a small smile. Her eyes widened with realisation and she bolted up so she was kneeling next to Stitch, "That's it! Rumplestilskin's got to be in this town, and if anyone's got dark magic, it's him. All we've got to do is find him and we can find Lilo!"

Invigorated by her new plan, Zoe stood up and brushed the sand off her clothes and Stitch mirrored her movements. Together, they set off to purposely find one of the most dangerous citizens of the Enchanted Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aloha wa la'oe means 'I love you' while Maholo means 'thank you' (or it does according to the internet).
> 
> Please let me know if I'm making any incorrect references.


	8. Chapter 6 - The Shopkeeper

_**6 months before The Day** _

Zoe trudged up the road to her house, having already moved beyond anger and progressed to bone-deep weariness. She'd had a terrible day at work which of course meant that Lilo decided not to wait for her after her dance class and she'd had a massive panic attack when she couldn't find her. It also meant the other parents had something else to gossip about and she hoped she'd have some time before the story made its way to their social worker. She figured Lilo had decided to go home on her own and she had started her own walk back filled with righteous indignation, thinking about all the things she was going to berate Lilo about. Now, as her house was finally in sight, she simply wanted nothing more than to take her board out and forget her responsibilities. Maybe even sleep for a week.

Her steps were heavy as she walked up the stairs, mind processing everything she still needed to do; cook dinner, check Lilo's homework, do a load of washing, clean up the pile of dishes. The list went on and on and Zoe was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't notice that there were two voices coming from inside her house.

She froze in the doorway, shocked at seeing Lilo with her record player, sitting with a black – almost blue – haired boy, dressed in a pair of Lilo's shorts and a t-shirt.

"This is the greatest thing I can show you," Lilo was saying, holding up a record, "Anything by Elvis is amazing."

The boy nodded uncertainly and memories Zoe had locked away, of things she wasn't even sure were real, came rushing back all in an instant.

"Lilo, move away from him," she said urgently.

Lilo looked up at her with a frown, "What's your problem? This is my new friend, like I asked for."

"Lilo," Zoe said more insistently, moving slowly over so not to startle the boy, "I need you to come over to me."

The boy looked between them, confusion marring his features as Lilo stood, hands on her hips.

"No," Lilo said, actually stamping her foot, "You can't just order me around whenever you finally come home. I was going through Dad's things when I found a crystal and Stitch appeared, he's meant to be with us, I know it."

"Stitch?" Zoe choked out.

"That's what I named him," Lilo said defensively, "I was named after Lilo from the movie, so Stitch is like my friend who appeared."

Zoe's eyes darted to the boy, to Stitch, who didn't seem to understand what was going on. He opened and closed his mouth, like he was trying to find words, "My name Stitch?"

He spoke slowly and unsurely but Lilo nodded eagerly and turned back to him, "That's right. You're Stitch, I'm Lilo and that bully is my sister, Zoe."

Zoe flinched at Lilo's comment, unused to her sister's insults even after all these months, "Have you thought this through, Lilo? What are we supposed to tell people when they ask where he came from? What about a birth certificate? Where do you expect us to get the money to clothe and feed him?"

"I'll use my pocket money," Lilo shot back, on the verge of shouting, "And Stitch can wear my clothes and hide when anyone comes around but if you send him away, I'll leave too."

Zoe looked at Lilo, trying to hold her ground as her eyes glittered and her empty – they both knew it – threats hung in the air. Lilo was looking for something normal, and addition to the family they'd lost so of course she had to pick the creature from another realm. Lilo had lost so much, and Zoe was hesitant to take anything away, even a magically made creature she'd met that day.

She observed Stitch, who seemed to be trying to eat Lilo's record, and searched for the creature her father created in their basement. His blue eyes met hers and they didn't appear haunted like she remembered, simply curious and open.

Zoe sighed and Lilo smiled, able to sense her victory.

"You both have to help with chores around the house and it's your responsibility to make sure he doesn't do dangerous things, like eat your records." Lilo spun at that and snatched the record out of Stitch's hands, "And you can't tell anyone we have him here."

"I promise," Lilo said brightly, before setting up her record to play. Elvis' voice echoed throughout the house as Zoe prepared dinner, resolving to keep a very close eye on Stitch and ensure he never tells Lilo the truth about their origins.

* * *

_**After the Day** _

They'd been walking around the town for a good half hour when Zoe had to admit her plan wasn't very good. Intentionally finding the Dark One was a terrible idea to have in the first place, trying to find him when they had no idea where he was and what he looked like was even worse. Her feet were starting to get sore but she marched on anyway, knowing if she stopped, she'd fall back into despair.

They were walking past a pawn shop under the name of Gold when Stitch tensed and seemed to sniff the air. He began to tremble at whatever he sensed.

"It's terrible," he whispered, eyeing the shop with fear.

"Okay, then, let's pretend to do some shopping."

Zoe began walking towards the door when she noticed Stitch wasn't following, he was still standing on the sidewalk with a terrified expression on his face.

"On second thought, why don't you stay out here and make sure no one strange follows me in?"

Stitch gave a small nod, "I can do that," he said quietly, calling out to her as she opened the door, "Be careful."

A tinkling bell announced her entrance to the empty shop. She glanced around the room, instantly disliking the dreary and creepy feeling the dark and cluttered space gave her.

She was browsing the odd collection of items when she heard a female voice from behind the counter.

"Can I help you?"

Zoe put on her best smile and turned to face the woman. She had chestnut brown hair that framed a porcelain face, an accent that didn't seem to fit in with the rest Zoe had heard.

"My cousin and I are just passing through the town on a trip, we were hoping possibly to pick up a souvenir."

"My name's Belle, I co-own the shop," she said, continuing regretfully, "I'm afraid we're currently going through a stock take so nothing is for sale."

"Oh, that's too bad," Zoe replied, thinking of a way to keep the conversation going. If the stories she knew where anything to go by, Belle was associated with the Dark One and going by the ring on her finger, she was very closely involved, "Do you run it with your husband?"

"That she does, dearie, may I ask why you're so interested?" A shaggy-haired man limped out of the back room and Zoe tried not to shiver at the look in his eyes, like she was an insect to be picked a part or simply squashed. She was fairly certain she had found the Dark One and now she wanted nothing more than to be far away.

She shrugged and tried a look of feigned innocence that had never worked when she was younger, "I was just curious. I've never really been to a small town before, I just wanted to see if they were any different from the city."

"Not that your curiosity is satisfied, I'm not sure what further help we can be to you."

Zoe knew a dismissal when she heard one and gave him a tight smile, continuing anyway.

"Would you be able to point me in the direction of the library, I might get some books for my cousin while I'm here."

Belle answered this one, "You're not in much luck. I run the library when I'm not here but we're just changing some things in our system so it's closed."

It was baffling how they actually thought they weren't acting suspicious, "Of course," Zoe replied, gauging the Dark One's reaction carefully as she continued, "I've got some book from my little sister, her name's Lilo, that can entertain him for a bit."

Nothing changed over the Dark One's face at the comment about her sister and Zoe nearly ground her teeth in frustration.

"That's a very nice name," Belle said kindly, "Is she not with you?"

Before Zoe could reply, the bell tinkled and she saw Stitch standing in the doorway.

His eyes darted between her and the Dark One – she assumed he was called Mr. Gold in this realm – and when he spoke, his voice was a squeak, "I need the bathroom."

Grateful for an easy exit, Zoe rushed out, sending a quick thanks over her shoulder. She almost wished Stitch had never entered the shop based on the way Gold was staring at him, almost hungrily. It wasn't until the door closed behind her that she felt as though she could breathe again.

She quickly dragged Stitch away then rounded a corner, leaning against the building with a sigh.

Her eyes were closed as she gestured with her hands, "That guy had a really creepy presence. No wonder why they call him the Dark One." She cracked one eye open to look at Stitch, "That was good thinking."

Stitch shrugged nonchalantly, a faint blush dusting his face, "Lilo says she does it sometimes to get out of school work."

Zoe pushed off the wall, "She what?" She forced herself to take a deep breath and continued, "Not important right now. Did you sense anything from him?"

Stitch shook his head and Zoe noted with concern the sweat under his fringe, "He has terrible dark magic but it's not the kind that took Lilo."

She nearly threw her hands up with frustration, "There's too much magic in this town." Zoe rubbed her forehead and considered their options, "Here's what we're going to do; we're going to go back to our room, get a nice meal, I'm going to look through the books I brought and then we're going to get a good night's sleep because tomorrow we're going to be tailing the Dark One. He's got to know something about dark magic with a hint of death."

Back in their room, Zoe sorted through her bag for the books she took from her father's chest, hoping she might some mention of magical creatures from other realms. Tears prickled her eyes as her hand closed around a plush object and she pulled out Scrump, the doll Lilo made. She pulled Scrump to her chest and breathed in, smelling faint traces of Lilo's soap.

"I'm coming for you, baby," she whispered, "I'm coming."


	9. Chapter 7 - The Meeting

_**5 months before The Day** _

Zoe leaned against the doorframe of the lounge room, crossing her arms and watching the scene unfold in front her of. Lilo was laughing as she fiddled with her record, something she had been doing much more in the past month. This of course made Zoe happy, but she couldn't help but be hurt that after everything, she wasn't the reason Lilo was smiling again, and she felt guilty for feeling that way.

Lilo arranged Stitch's arms as they moved through the dance, swaying as Elvis sang in the background. Stitch was smiling to himself as he danced, laughing whenever he messed up. They had managed to buy him some second-hand clothes and Lilo had kept up her end of the bargain so far. She attended school and her classes and helped around the house, things finally seemed to be looking up. Zoe knocked the wood frame to stop her from jinxing herself as she watched Stitch.

He didn't seem to be regaining any memories and he was rapidly learning – or re-learning – English. Lilo was teaching him phrases of Hawaiian as well and she had to make a couple of trips to their room after lights out to stop them from chattering.

She was concerned sometimes when he looked out into space and frowned, like there was something just out of reach, something constantly tickling at his mind. But his memories were locked away – or wiped – and she was glad for the both of them, Zoe had enough things to deal with without adding managing her memories from when she lived in another realm to the list.

"You're learning this really quickly, Stitch," Lilo was saying, "Let's take a break, what do you want to do?"

Stitch frowned thoughtfully, "Can we read the story?"

"You want to read The Ugly Duckling again?" Lilo sighed, "Fine, I'll go grab it."

Lilo passed her without a word, their new peace mainly built on avoiding each other to avoid further arguments.

Zoe pushed off the doorframe, the small break she had allowed herself long since passed but she paused when she noticed Stitch frowning at her.

"What is it?" She said brusquely, she knew Lilo's cold shoulder was mostly due to her treatment of Stitch, but she couldn't let her guard down around him. She would do anything to protect Lilo and for that to work, she had to be objective about Stitch.

"I know you," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words.

Zoe stiffened and her eyes widened in horror as he continued.

"It comes in flashes, but I remember. He didn't call you Zoe then, he called you... Nani."

Her old name broke her out of her trance and she walked over to where Stitch was sitting on the floor, grabbing his arm roughly.

"Listen to me," she hissed, "You are not to talk about anything of this, you understand? Mention this to Lilo or anyone and I will put you back in your crystal and throw you into the ocean."

Stitch nodded at her fearfully and she relaxed her grip, blaming her racing heart on the shock of hearing her name, and not the fact she just threatened a kid. She shook her head and left the room, and held her trembling hands on the edge of the sink. She took deep breaths and forced herself to be calm.

Zoe was shocked by her reflection in the small window above the sink. She tried to reconcile the image looking back with the girl she was, the carefree surfer whose only concern was the daily weather report. She picked up one of the dishes and began scrubbing it vigorously, wondering if there was a way she could clean herself. She glanced over her shoulder and noticed Lilo walking back in and settling beside Stitch, pointing out the different letters. Looking at Lilo, Zoe realised that there was no limit to what she'd do to protect her and that realisation scared her more than anything. She ignored the tears dripping into the dirty water – as she always did – and continued on like nothing was the matter.

* * *

_**After the Day** _

TV shows made stake-outs seem so interesting. But two hours after watching the Dark One's shop, the only event that happened was that her butt went numb. They were camped out in an alley near the shop which seemed to be a good hiding place as no one had called the Sheriff on them yet.

She shifted in her position on the ground and tried to remember where she had gotten to in her count to a thousand. She thought she had at least broken three hundred.

Stitch gasped beside her and she sat up to notice the Dark One limping out of his shop and down the street.

"Okay," she said firmly, "Let's see where he's off to."

People veered away from the Dark One as he made his way through the town and she and Stitch kept their distance, attempting to appear as inconspicuous as possible as they meandered down the streets. He finally turned into a yellow building, Zoe discovering to her displeasure, that it was the Mayor's office.

"Great," she spat, "We're crashing a meeting between the Dark One and the whoever rules this crazy town. What could possibly go wrong?"

Stitch huddled into himself and her hand hovered before it moved to his back, rubbing him soothingly.

"Come on, the sooner we spy, the sooner we get Lilo and we can leave this town."

They snuck into the empty reception area and made their way up the stairs, only pausing when they heard voices coming from within the Mayor's room. She crept forward quietly until she could understand what the voices were saying.

"Don't you ever think the infant ruins the tone of these dire meetings?" A voice Zoe recognised as the Evil Queen's snapped impatiently.

"We went through this last time, Regina," a voice replied patiently, "Don't we have better things to be discussing?"

"That we do," the Dark One replied, "Especially concerning our visitors."

"You've met them?" A voice exclaimed, one that sounded like the Sheriff.

"They dropped by my shop yesterday, it was quite an interesting experience."

"Regina and I have both met them now and they don't seem to have any nefarious plans, they are up to something though."

"And the girl's a bit rude," The Evil Queen huffed and Zoe poked her tongue at the door.

"From what I could tell, they seemed a bit on edge," an accented male voice added.

"You weren't even supposed to be following me anyway, but he's right," the Sheriff claimed.

Zoe rolled her eyes at the bickering and edged a little closer to the door, hoping they'd actually get to their point.

"Do we know if they work for Hades?" The patient voice asked.

Zoe covered the gasp that emerged when she heard the name  _Hades_  and tried to make herself focus.

"... Not clear at this point," The Sheriff stated, "But for minions, a teenager and a kid don't really seem to be the best tools."

"Not a 'teenager and a kid', as you put it, dearie," The Dark One added smoothly, "A teenager and a magical creature." There was a shocked silence in the room and Zoe glanced over her shoulder at Stitch, who was wearing a terrified expression, "I'm surprised you both missed it. Sure, the creature is well-made, almost human in appearance but I would have thought your senses would be refined enough to detect it."

"Why are you only telling us this now?" The Evil Queen asked impatiently.

"Because I needed to confirm it and now I have had the opportunity."

The door to the office swung open and Zoe found herself staring a shocked group of people, with the Dark One being the smug exception.

The Sheriff reaching for her gun forced Zoe into action, pushing Stitch in front of her and making their way to the stairwell. The door slammed shut in front of her and she kicked it with no effect – except a throbbing foot.

She saw the Dark One walk out into the hallway and realised with a sinking feeling that they were completely trapped.


	10. Chapter 8 - The Plea

_**10 years before The Day** _

It was hours after her mother had been taken to hospital that Zoe was finally allowed to see her. She had been quickly placed in the care of a family friend after her sibling had finally decided it was time to be born, and she was too worried to be distracted by the television or the games the woman was inviting her to play.

The hospital was sterile and unfriendly but Zoe felt all her fears fall away when she finally reached her mother's room, her parents staring at a bundle in her arms. They both looked up when she entered, broad smiles on their faces.

Her mother looked tired, black hair stuck to her forehead and a weary air to her, but her voice was still bright as she invited Zoe over, "Hey Zoe, come sit beside me, there's someone you need to meet."

Her Dad ruffled her hair on his way past, taking Zoe's babysitter into the corridor, murmuring excitedly the whole time.

Kono shuffled on the bed to give her some room and Zoe crawled on, getting the first look at her new sibling. The baby was red and squishy and her sibling yawned and moved its little arms. Zoe brushed her finger along its tiny hand and the baby shuffled again.

"Zoe, this is your new baby sister," her mother said, pride resounding in her tone.

"Hi, baby sister," she whispered, moving to stroke her cheek.

She looked to her mother and is startled when she sees tears filling her brown eyes.

"Mom, what is it? Are you in pain? Do you need Dad?"

She shook her head with a small smile and impatiently wiped her tears away.

"I'm okay, I just love you both so much."

Zoe smiled back, "I love you too, Mom," she before turning to her sister, "And I love you too. Does she have a name yet?"

"About that," her father said, as he wandered back into the room, taking a seat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed, "We were thinking that you might want to name her."

Zoe's eyes widened and her grin grew larger, "Really?"

"We'll have to approve it," her father replied with a laugh, "But yes."

Zoe looked down to her baby sister and waits for a name to come to her. She doesn't often think of the realm she left behind – sometimes she looks at her life and wonders if it was real, but suddenly she wants to acknowledge it, so even if she can't tell her baby sister where they come from, that some part of her knows it.

The perfect name suddenly comes to her and she looks to her parents with a shy smile, "Lilo."

"Lilo," her mother tests, "Like in the movie we saw?"

Zoe nodded eagerly, "Ohana, means nobody gets left behind or forgotten, right? She'll be Lilo and I'll be like Nani in the movie, take her surfing and always looking after her."

Her father's head jerks at the mention of her old name and she meets his gaze with a silent plea, a request for a small trace of her old life.

He slowly nods and stands, moving to stroke his youngest daughter's downy hair.

"Welcome to the family, Lilo Pelekai."

Her mother opens her spare arm wide and Zoe snuggles in, accepting the kiss on the top of her head. She looks over her sister and makes her a promise to always protect her.

* * *

_**After the Day** _

Zoe stared at the Dark One with fear, trying to stop her trembling as she clutched Stitch's shoulders. The Dark One smirked and she flinched as she raised his arm, hesitantly taking a step back when nothing happened.

The Dark One frowned and Zoe pushed Stitch to her side, absently noting that his eyes seemed a more intense shade of blue in the dim light. Zoe looked past the Dark One in the hopes of seeing an exit and sees a door at the end of the corridor that may serve. Other people are crowding in the doorway behind the Dark One and before she can react, the Dark One summons a fire ball that is quickly sent in their direction, only to disappear, as if it hit an invisible barrier around them.

Zoe notices Stitch's eyes are almost glowing with a blue light now – something they will have to investigate later – before she grabbed Stitch's hand and ran, hoping to get past before everyone can move past their shock.

They made it to the end of the hallway before a voice rung out behind them, "Stop, or I will shoot."

Zoe reluctantly froze and forced Stitch behind her as she turns to face the Sheriff. The hallway is crowded with the Sheriff, the Evil Queen, the Dark One, the dark-haired man and two other people she has not identified yet.

The Sheriff adjusted her gun, "Stop your magic and walk over slowly."

"We didn't use any magic," she snapped back, "We simply stopped the Dark One from killing us."

There was a collection expression of shock displayed at the mention of the shopkeeper's true identity and it gave Zoe a moment to assess the strangers. There is a blonde man and a woman with cropped hair –a baby on her hip – and they both seem oddly familiar.

"Hands up," the Sheriff repeated and Zoe understands it as her last warning. She lifted her hands and saw Stitch do the same out of the corner of her eye.

"Emma, they're just children," the woman whispered.

"I know, Mom," the Sheriff responded, then directs herself at Zoe, "Start walking over slowly."

Zoe is too busy gazing at the woman, understanding who the Sheriff – the Saviour's – mother must be and she takes a leap of faith.

"Mercy, your majesty," she implored, "We mean no harm, we only want to find my sister."


	11. Chapter 9 - The Shock

_**3 months before The Day** _

Zoe raced around the house, tidying as she went and ensuring there was no evidence of an additional person living there.

"Lilo," she called up the stairs, "Lilo!"

"What?" Lilo shouted back, opening her door a crack.

"Mr. Bubbles is going to be here soon, you need to make sure Stitch is hidden and all of his stuff is away."

"I'm already on it," Lilo said as she slammed her door shut. Her home-made 'Kapu' sign swung dangerously on its hook and Zoe frowned at it, hoping that the social worker is not fluent in Hawaiian. Having a 'Keep Out' sign may not be the most positive indicator of a child's emotional state.

There is a knock on the door as Zoe stood in the entryway and she swallowed nervously, smoothing down her shirt. Lilo's door opened behind her and she heard Lilo's feet on the stairs as Zoe moved to open the door.

"Hi, Mr. Bubbles," she said brightly, "How are you? Please come in."

Zoe has always considered Mr. Bubbles a threatening man, not only because of the power he has over her, but his physical stature and reluctance to take his sunglasses off his flat nose had always intimidated Zoe.

He gave her a cursory nod before moving into the house and knelt before Lilo.

"How are you, Lilo? Is everything going well for you?"

"Everything's fine, Mr. Bubbles," Lilo replied earnestly and Zoe is glad she didn't attempt to coach her this time.

"I'm going to take a look around to ensure everything is in order," Bubbles said, his tone disapproving as per usual.

"Knock yourself out," she muttered to herself and followed him into the kitchen. Zoe is about to celebrate as they make their way downstairs, having completed the circuit, so close to finally having an inspection where she isn't scolded or issued a warning, when she heard something thump in Lilo's room.

For a moment, she closed her eyes and hoped that she was the only one to hear it. Mr. Bubbles soon interrupted her daydream.

"What was that?" He asked suspiciously.

"Something must have fallen over, Lilo, do you mind checking it out?"

She must not have hidden her panic as well as she thought as Mr. Bubbles frowned at her suspiciously.

"I'll come with you, Lilo," he declared and Zoe felt her panic rise.

Zoe is helpless and they re-enter Lilo's room, only to find Stitch attempting to scramble back into the wardrobe.

"Who are you?" Mr. Bubbles asked firmly.

"This is Stitch," Zoe cut in quickly, "Lilo's friend, I hadn't realised he was over."

"Something else we will need to discuss, Miss Pelekai," he said sternly as he exited the room. Zoe sighed and followed him, waiting for a day where everything could go right.

* * *

"While I am glad she seems to be improving emotionally, I am still concerned about her school progress and friendships at school. I want this to be your focus, Miss Pelekai," Mr. Bubbles said as he pushed his chair back under the table.

"Of course, I'll schedule an appointment her with teacher sometime this week and come up with a plan."

"Are you sure you have time for that? I know you are working two jobs now."

Zoe wished he would take his sunglasses off for once so she could get a better read on him, "I can always find time for Lilo."

"Just remember, Miss Pelekai, you are on your last warning."

"I don't need a reminder of that," she responded fiercely.

He nodded to her in acknowledgement and let himself out. Zoe sighed and leaned against the door, hating herself for the tears that stung her eyes.

"That was close," Lilo said cheerfully, "Stitch and I are going to go play outside."

Zoe had no energy to say otherwise as her head knocked against the wall, giving herself a moment to breathe and recuperate.

Laughter drifted through the window, a reminder that Lilo has been happier these past two months and there is only one explanation that could be given for that.

Zoe pushed off the wall and moved about the house, completing chores as she goes, reminding herself that Lilo was her priority and everything else is of secondary concern.

* * *

_**After The Day** _

There was a heavy silence after Zoe's plea.

"How do you know who we are?" Snow White asked.

"I'm not going to tell you unless that gun goes away."

"Oh, Emma, put it away," Snow White said impatiently, "It seems like we've all got the wrong impression of each other, let's just go sit down and talk about this."

Zoe only released her death grip on Stitch's hand when the Sheriff holstered her gun.

"And we're not going to get roasted?"

"It didn't seem to have any effect, now did it, dearie?"

The group makes their way back into the office and Zoe followed reluctantly, tugging Stitch along.

They settled on the couches in the dreary office and Zoe looked at each one of these fairytale characters, now interrogating her in what once was the Evil Queen's Mayoral office.

"Alright, let's get to the point, how much do you know and how do you know it?" The Sheriff asked bluntly.

"Well," Zoe stuttered, unsure of how much to reveal, "I wasn't born in this realm, I arrived in this realm about 15 years ago, fleeing a place called Elantris."

"Excellent," The Dark One scoffed, "We've got a realm jumper in our presence."

"You've heard of them?" The Evil Queen asked with surprise, and not a small amount of accusation.

"I've heard of many realms in my time, dearie, the realm of thieves and cowards has not escaped my attention."

Zoe eyes narrowed at the insult, "Well we can't all be as honourable as the  _Dark One_ , now can we?"

"We're getting off track here," Snow White cut in hastily, "What happened after you came here?"

"My father and I settled down, we started a life. Eventually he remarried and my little sister, Lilo came along. It was like my other life didn't even exist. Then," she paused, "after our parents died, Lilo and I struggled. About a week ago, Lilo was abducted by some children who could vanish from sight – not something I expected to see in a Land Without Magic."

"Pain and Panic," the dark-haired man muttered. Being this close, Zoe can see the hook on his left hand and sighed – wondering if the town could get any stranger.

"Wait, what?" She asked, finally processing what Captain Hook said, "Like from  _Hercules_?"

"It's our current problem," the Sheriff explained, "Hades has a bit of a grudge with us – any reason why he'd want your sister?"

"I'd say the answer to that is very simple, dearie, he wanted something not from his realm to use to punish us. He wanted that thing sitting beside her and accidentally got the sister instead."

"Stitch is not a 'thing'," she snapped.

"Oh?" The Dark One asked and she wants nothing more than to punch him for his condescending tone, "He doesn't look too well, something faulty in the way he was made?"

Zoe's eyes quickly shifted to Stitch, who shivered as he sat beside her, eyes still glowing.

"Stitch, what's the matter?" She asked and stretched out to touch him, snatching her hand back with a curse when a painful shock passed through her hand.

She closed her fist, hiding the burn she could feel on her left palm.

"Hey," she said soothingly, "Stitch, it's okay, we're not in danger."

"Monster," he whispered, "I was a monster. I  _am_ a monster."

Zoe ignored the pain in her chest and gently reached out, laying her good hand on his shoulder, relived when she was unhurt.

"You're not," she said firmly, "You're Lilo's friend and I need you to get control so we can work with these people to get Lilo back."

Stitch shuddered and met her eyes, the glow fading and with it his fear.

"Okay," the Sheriff said uneasily, "We're going to need a little break to discuss our next step. Killian, do you mind taking our guests someplace where they can relax?"

Captain Hook nodded to the Sheriff and stood, Zoe and Stitch following suit. They are subdued as they walk out of the office and Zoe turned to the group as she neared the door.

"My sister's name is Lilo and she's ten years old. Don't help me, please help her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are officially up to everything I have written so far so I will attempt to update every two to three weeks.


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